Elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions previously carried out by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The city of Newcastle upon Tyne had been a county corporate since 1400 with its own quarter sessions, and Newcastle's independence from the county was maintained by making it a county borough. The county council was elected by and provided services to the remainder of the county, which area was termed the administrative county. Berwick-upon-Tweed was also a county corporate, but was not considered large enough to provide its own county-level services. It was therefore included in the administrative county of Northumberland.[5]Tynemouth subsequently also became a county borough in 1904, removing it from the administrative county.[6]
The first elections were held in January 1889. The council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at the Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, the courthouse (built 1811) which had served as the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council.[7] The first chairman of the council was Matthew White Ridley, who was also the ConservativeMP for Blackpool (in Lancashire).[8]
Until 1981 the county council met at the Moot Hall in central Newcastle, and had its main administrative offices at the adjoining County Hall. The Moot Hall area formed an exclave of the administrative county.[10] The exclave became part of the city in 1974 and therefore outside the county council's territory.[11] The council moved to Morpeth in 1981.
As part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, Northumberland's six districts were abolished and their functions were taken over by the county council.[12][13] As part of the 2009 changes the council was given the option of changing its name to "Northumberland Council".[14] After consultation with the public the council decided to keep the name "Northumberland County Council".[15]
The area administered by the council: the non-metropolitan county of Northumberland
Since 2009, Northumberland County Council has provided both county-level and district-level services. The whole county is also covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government.[17]
Governance and assurance
In February 2022 the council leader commissioned an independent governance review led by former intervention commissioner Max Caller CBE and Solace in Business. The review, delivered on 8 June 2022, concluded that the council had “forgotten much of what good local government looks like” and had lost its way amid internal conflicts, and recommended a fundamental reset of philosophy, processes and relationships.
Key recommendations included establishing experienced professional leadership, redrafting the corporate plan and constitution, reviewing the Members’ code of conduct and officer protocol, developing data-driven performance management and a governance framework for council-owned companies, and creating a challenge board to scrutinise improvement programmes. According to the council’s annual governance statement, a cross‑party task-and-finish group and an external challenge board were set up to implement the recommendations; an action plan is monitored by the audit committee.
A 2024 Local Government Association peer review noted that improvements in culture, governance and working relationships were evident but more work was required to embed changes and rebuild trust.
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since 2021, being led by a minority Conservative administration. At the 2021 election the Conservatives won a majority of the seats, but they lost their majority later that year following a Liberal Democrat gain in a December 2021 by-election.[18][19] A Conservative minority administration continues to run the council following the 2025 election.[20]
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[21][22][23]
Until 1979, the chairman of the council was also its political leader. In 1979 the separate position of leader of the council was created, and the chair became a more ceremonial position.[24] The leaders since 1979 have been:
Leaders of the other Political Groups, which failed to form a government. Starting from those with the most seats to the least.
Cllr Mark Peart, Reform UK, May 2025- (Leader of the Opposition)
Cllr Scott Dickinson, Labour, May 2021- (Former Leader of the Opposition 2021-2025)
Cllr Derek Kennedy, Independent Group, 2021-
Cllr Isabel Hunter, Liberal Democrats, May 2025-
Cllr Martin Swinbank, Green Party, May 2025-
Chief executives
The council’s chief executive is the head of paid service. Former chief executive Daljit Lally was suspended in 2021 and left the authority in July 2022 following a settlement. The full council appointed Rick O’Farrell as interim head of paid service and chief executive on 27 July 2022, with the appointment confirmed to continue until a permanent chief executive was recruited. O’Farrell served as interim chief executive from July 2022 until February 2023; during his eight‑month tenure he was thanked by councillors for his leadership. On 6 February 2023 Dr Helen Paterson, previously chief executive of Walsall Council, took up the post of permanent chief executive and she remains in office as of 2025.
Composition
Following the 2025 election, the composition of the council is:
Six of the seven independent councillors form the "Independent Group" and the other is not aligned to any group. The next election is due in 2029.[49]
Ombudsman investigations
Between 2022 and 2025 the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) issued annual review letters to Northumberland County Council. For the year ending 31 March 2023 the Ombudsman received 19 complaints about the council and upheld 16 of them (an 84% uphold rate); the council complied with 100% of the recommendations and provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman in four cases (25%).[50]
For the year ending 31 March 2024 there were 26 investigations and 18 complaints (69%) were upheld; the council again complied with all recommendations but only two cases (11%) were remedied before the Ombudsman’s involvement.[51] The Ombudsman’s letter for 2024–25, sent in May 2025 and followed up in July 2025, welcomed that the council agreed and implemented recommendations in 12 cases but expressed concern that four of those remedies were completed late and highlighted ongoing delays and poor-quality responses to Ombudsman enquiries.[52]
Notable matters since February 2023 include:
Electoral register: In 2023 the Ombudsman upheld a complaint that the council delayed confirming a resident’s removal from the open electoral register; the council was asked to apologise and review its procedures.[53]
Adult social care: In 2022–23 an investigation found fault with the council’s handling of a care-plan review and its responses to the Ombudsman’s enquiries. The council agreed to apologise and pay a financial remedy.[54]
Standards and safeguarding (Arcot Lane): In 2025 the Ombudsman opened investigations into complaints about the council’s handling of standards complaints and its response to reports of public indecency and anti-social behaviour near Arcot Lane, Cramlington. These cases remain under consideration and no findings have yet been issued.
Since the last full review of boundaries in 2013 the council has comprised 67 councillors representing 66 electoral divisions, each of which elects one councillor except Alnwick which elects two. Elections are held every four years.[55] New division boundaries have been drawn up to come into effect for the 2025 elections, increasing the number of councillors to 69.[56]
The council is based at County Hall on the southern outskirts of Morpeth, which was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1981.[57] Proposals to move the council's headquarters to Ashington were considered between 2014 and 2017, with building work starting on the new site in Ashington. In 2017 work on the new site was aborted after the proposed sale of the Morpeth site fell through. The council subsequently decided to stay in Morpeth and renovate County Hall instead.[58]
Prior to 1981 the council was based in Newcastle. Meetings were held at the Moot Hall. A large office building called County Hall was built opposite the Moot Hall in 1910 to serve as the council's main offices.[59]
↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Northumberland" in search box to see specific results.)
↑ [... "Northumberland County Council (Electoral register complaint)"]. LGSCO. 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2025.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
↑ [... "Northumberland County Council (Adult social care complaint)"]. LGSCO. 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2025.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
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